World Briefs: Militia takes control of Gadhafi stronghold

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - -
Wednesday, October 24, 2012

LIBYA

BANI WALID — Libya's government on Wednesday took control of one of the last strongholds of deposed dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s loyalists, the government claimed, after fierce battles that left dozens dead and thousands displaced.

The capture of Bani Walid was a triumph for the government that replaced Gadhafi’s regime, but the fact that it took a full year underlined the fractious nature of the country and the new regime’s inability to impose its authority over squabbling tribes and heavily armed militias.

The victory could even spark new violence.

The government-backed militia that led the charge came from the city of Misrata, a longtime rival of Bani Walid, and recriminations could result.

KINGSTON — Hurricane Sandy pounded Jamaica with heavy rain as it headed for landfall Wednesday near the country’s most populous city on a track that would carry it across the Caribbean island to Cuba, and a possible threat to Florida.

The island’s international airports closed, cruise ships changed their itineraries, and police ordered 48-hour curfews in major towns to keep people off the streets and deter looting as the late-season storm neared Jamaica’s south coast.

Police slowly drove through drenched communities in the capital of Kingston with their cruisers’ lights flashing.

The 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was forecast to make landfall in the vicinity of Kingston Wednesday afternoon and then spin on into eastern Cuba overnight.

CHINA

China set to OK new nuclear plants

BEIJING — China said Wednesday that it is ready to approve new nuclear power plants as part of ambitious plans to reduce reliance on oil and coal, ending a moratorium imposed after Japan’s Fukushima disaster last year.

The government said it hopes to generate 30 percent of China’s power from solar, wind and other renewable sources as well as from nuclear energy by the end of 2015.